October 2019 McDougall Weigh In Thread

[moonlight]

I’m down 1 lb (168) this week. Hopefully, I’ll keep this weight loss after I’ve gotten past this cold.
Thank you, Amy, for keeping us inspired. I appreciate your efforts!

[amandamechele]

Marsha - To respond to an earlier conversation with you: I’m glad you are prioritizing the food prep, you’ve got it right - if the good choices aren’t ready and waiting it becomes much too easy to get into trouble. May I ask, what painting were you hoping to get to? Artistic pursuit or home renovation type? Thanks for the squash suggestion that pilaf looks delicious (after many many alterations to make it work for us...LOL). I tried eating that acorn squash plain this week; I tried both steamed and baked in the convection oven. Even when very very hungry it is not for me...LOL... taste and texture was just yucky! (I do like small amounts of squash hidden in things like you suggest with that pilaf, so after I finish trying this really simple eating that I’m doing I’ll give a modification of your recipe a try. Here’s an ugly picture of that meal, I thought of you while making it so I snapped a quick shot. That third item is an old sweet potato....still tastey though and the only thing I actually ate off of that plate.



Also, thank you for the very practical advice to my friends. I, and they, appreciate it. They both keep working at it, which I figure bodes well for them. That keeps success possible. Both are ethical vegans so, thankfully, that keeps them able to stay away from the animal products, it’s the oil and junk that keep getting them. I have proposed Dr. Lisle’s experiment idea to them (they are familiar with it), requesting family give them a certain amount of time with a house free of junk to attempt to get on track. Fingers crossed and looking forward to hearing from them.
Congratulations on 1 whole pound this week.

Belana - Same here. It just feels crappy not eating this way.

Vegman - Not bad at all! Best wishes this week.

Annette - This was a good week for weight loss, how wonderful. I’m glad, really glad, you have decided to continue for November. I love it when participants, such as yourself, summarize previous victories. It can be easy to forget them, and put too much focus on where we want to improve. You have done so much! I think focusing on the sweets for November is a great idea.

Sirdle - Congratulations on the hopefully penultimate loss this month. Thank you for linking your tribute to your mom, I possibly wouldn’t have gotten to read it if you hadn’t. I read it on my phone over lunch today; the awkwardness of such usually has me wait until I have access to a bigger screen to read this website. But I couldn’t stop reading it, such vivid personal narrative and visceral descriptions. I am sorry for the pain and loss that you went through. I am grateful for your reflections and internalizations of your emotions at the time. I am grateful because this is not an experience that I have had and I may now have more insight when my life brings similar challenges. Sometimes feelings just need to jump out and onto a page in order to sort them out. I am not sure if clarity, catharsis or sharing with friends was a part of your intent, but I appreciate being a part of the audience. I hope this day is not too hard a one on you and you spend some time remembering your mom’s vibrance as well. XO.

Moonlight - I guess this is one of those unforeseen opportunities I’m always babbling about. Nothing like a little viral appetite suppressant to give us a little boost in our weight loss goals...LOL! I hope you have a speedy recovery and maintain good adherence as you begin to feel better.

[stillcrazy]

I gained 1 lb. this week. Seems like I fought cravings all week and none too successfully. I ran out of potatoes mid week, not a good thing. I have lots of other good choices in grains and legumes but none fill me up like potatoes can. I have been grumpy and pouty all week because it is cold here and I haven’t wanted to do anything but stay in and eat. However, turning over a new page on the calendar feels good. A new start. I have to go out for appointments today so I will be sure to hit the grocery store on my way home. Yukon golds, I am looking forward to them. Hoping that we all have a good week! Vee

[sirdle]

Sirdle - Congratulations on the hopefully penultimate loss this month. Thank you for linking your tribute to your mom, I possibly wouldn’t have gotten to read it if you hadn’t. I read it on my phone over lunch today; the awkwardness of such usually has me wait until I have access to a bigger screen to read this website. But I couldn’t stop reading it, such vivid personal narrative and visceral descriptions. I am sorry for the pain and loss that you went through. I am grateful for your reflections and internalizations of your emotions at the time. I am grateful because this is not an experience that I have had and I may now have more insight when my life brings similar challenges. Sometimes feelings just need to jump out and onto a page in order to sort them out. I am not sure if clarity, catharsis or sharing with friends was a part of your intent, but I appreciate being a part of the audience. I hope this day is not too hard a one on you and you spend some time remembering your mom’s vibrance as well. XO.

Thank you very much, Amy.

I wrote a short response on my thread.

Have a great weekend!

Cheers,

[Artista]

I'm up 1 lb. this week. I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong. I've been really careful about what I eat and how much. I felt like I had lost weight this week and was surprised to get on the scale and see that it had gone up. Maybe my body is just regrouping and more weight loss will follow, or maybe I have just hit the wall as far as how much weight I can lose. I hope I haven't hit the wall. I'm going to stay in the MLW group for November. No time to quit now. And I'll need some support and accountability when navigating all the holiday food and situations coming up later this month.

Amy, loved the picture of the veggie tray. As a portrait artist I can really appreciate the creativity in that! And thanks for all your words of encouragement.

Sirdle, I was very moved by your tribute to your mom. Thank you so much for sharing it.

[amandamechele]

Vee - Perfect time for a new start, in the November thread. Fresh month, fresh set of groceries and fresh outlook! I hope you have a good week too Vee! I love love love Yukon golds baked until the skin is chewy and a bit crispy. Fresh out of the oven.

Sirdle - The need to work gets in the way of so much creativity. You are a wonderful writer, your mom must have been very proud of that.

Artista - I’m sorry you’re feeling frustrated. I get like that too when the needle is moving in the wrong direction on the scale. Would you like to share more specifics about what you are eating each day? Also, if you could remind me how close are you to a healthy weight range? This is entirely up to you, of course, I just thought we could put a few more minds on the problem and see if we could locate some places for improvement to help you get the scale moving again. When you are quite close to your goal, the details become very important because there is less caloric wiggle-room, so to speak.
You are a portrait artist. I’m happy to learn something about you. What kind of portraits? What medium?
When one of my sons was in JK he had to paint a self portrait for class. We loved it so much that we framed it. It’s our family rendition of Evard Munch’s The Scream. He’s actually a very happy kid, not at all blue and scream-y like the portrait suggests...LOL... and most obviously won’t be growing up to be a portrait artist.






Here is a link to the new November Weigh In Thread.

[deweyswakms]

Marsha - To respond to an earlier conversation with you: I’m glad you are prioritizing the food prep, you’ve got it right - if the good choices aren’t ready and waiting it becomes much too easy to get into trouble. May I ask, what painting were you hoping to get to? Artistic pursuit or home renovation type? Thanks for the squash suggestion

Good morning Amanda, about the acorn squash. Some foods just don't work for us. I just hate mushrooms, even though I know they are healthy, I can't stand the rubbery texture or dirt-like taste. But I don't just eat mine as plain as your picture. I add some steamed veggies to the squash (plus a dash of salt and pepper). I scoop out the cooked squash, and add corn & peas in a bowl, mix it up. Eat. The fiber really fills me up. I think the squash flesh could be added to a veggie soup or stew. Or mash it up with some potatoes. One of my favorite simple meals is just mashed potatoes with steamed carrots and peas. I also adore sweet potatoes! After roasting mine, a dash of cinnamon makes a great dessert. I do try to eat what's in season; hence the acorn squash.

I really like to eat for 'fuel', good nutrition, yet needs to be quick and easy. Hence, Jeff N's approach is best for me. Acorn squash (maybe other squashes too) have good values: Fiber: 9 grams. vitamin A: 18% of the Daily Value (DV), Vitamin C: 37% of the DV., Thiamine (vitamin B1): 23% of the DV, Pyridoxine (vitamin B6): 20% of the DV

You asked about my painting. About 7 years ago I couldn't deny the urge to try to paint, as in oil paints or watercolors. I have had no art training at all, but just felt I needed to do this. So that's what I have been doing. Mostly self taught, with soft pastels, and found two great teachers on Patreon and have made great progress. If I don't set aside time to paint, then it doesn't get done. It's too easy to skip it. Yet, it's the most satisfying and fun thing I can do. I would share a photo of a recent landscape but don't know how to do that here.

Thanks for supporting all of us on this journey. Two days in a row I am at a new lower #. 1.5 lbs away from my first goal. Wow!

See you in the November weight loss thread. Marsha

[Artista]

Vee - Perfect time for a new start, in the November thread. Fresh month, fresh set of groceries and fresh outlook! I hope you have a good week too Vee! I love love love Yukon golds baked until the skin is chewy and a bit crispy. Fresh out of the oven.

Sirdle - The need to work gets in the way of so much creativity. You are a wonderful writer, your mom must have been very proud of that.

Artista - I’m sorry you’re feeling frustrated. I get like that too when the needle is moving in the wrong direction on the scale. Would you like to share more specifics about what you are eating each day? Also, if you could remind me how close are you to a healthy weight range? This is entirely up to you, of course, I just thought we could put a few more minds on the problem and see if we could locate some places for improvement to help you get the scale moving again. When you are quite close to your goal, the details become very important because there is less caloric wiggle-room, so to speak.
You are a portrait artist. I’m happy to learn something about you. What kind of portraits? What medium?
When one of my sons was in JK he had to paint a self portrait for class. We loved it so much that we framed it. It’s our family rendition of Evard Munch’s The Scream. He’s actually a very happy kid, not at all blue and scream-y like the portrait suggests...LOL... and most obviously won’t be growing up to be a portrait artist.






Here is a link to the new November Weigh In Thread.

Hi Amy, This is what I usually eat in a day: hot cereal (teff, steel cut oats, and/or buckwheat groats), blueberries, 1 Tbsp. ground flaxseeds, soy milk on hot cereal and in tea, steamed vegetables, potatoes, brown rice, beans or lentils, a few pieces of fresh fruit. That's pretty much it.I know the soy milk and flaxseed are not according to MWL. I've been hoping I could get to my goal weight while eating those foods but I may need to give them up. My BMI is 23.7. Technically in the normal range but I would like it to be lower.

I love the self portrait your son painted. I would've framed that too! I find children's art, especially portraits, to be very delightful and creative. They don't have all the filters that adults have saying a face can't be blue, for example. My portraits are not so imaginative as that, LOL. I paint in oils usually, sometimes acrylics.

[amandamechele]

Hi Amy, This is what I usually eat in a day: hot cereal (teff, steel cut oats, and/or buckwheat groats), blueberries, 1 Tbsp. ground flaxseeds, soy milk on hot cereal and in tea, steamed vegetables, potatoes, brown rice, beans or lentils, a few pieces of fresh fruit. That's pretty much it.I know the soy milk and flaxseed are not according to MWL. I've been hoping I could get to my goal weight while eating those foods but I may need to give them up. My BMI is 23.7. Technically in the normal range but I would like it to be lower.

I love the self portrait your son painted. I would've framed that too! I find children's art, especially portraits, to be very delightful and creative. They don't have all the filters that adults have saying a face can't be blue, for example. My portraits are not so imaginative as that, LOL. I paint in oils usually, sometimes acrylics.

I am replying to this late and saw that you will be attempting to eliminate the flax for the time being.
Thanks for letting us know where you are at. You have done spectacularly! Congratulations. Yes, you are just at a place where attention to those little details is what is needed to get things moving along any further. Your food choices look good. You may wish to also remove the soy milk if things stall out without reaching your goal again. I don’t know if you do any intentional exercise, but if not, a little brisk walking each day could also help move you slightly out of your energy in/out equilibrium.